Devices for storing garden hoses, electric cords, lines and the like in a coiled condition are known. Typically, such devices provide two widely spaced apart surfaces onto which are wrapped the coils of the article to be stored. Such devices are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,058,925 to Toegel, 2,470,212 to Carlson, 4,123,012 to Hough and 4,261,529 to Sandberg et al. While the devices are adequate for storing coiled articles, each device requires the article to be wound onto the spaced apart surfaces and then unwound in the opposite direction to utilize the uncoiled article for the intended purpose. This winding and unwinding process is time consuming and can become very tedious for storage of articles such as garden hoses which are used on almost a daily basis.
French Pat. No. 2,528,250 to Doridant describes a support for electric extension cords which has a flattened S-shape. The extension cord is supported on a horizontal rod. The Doridant device is an improvement over the prior art since it does not require a user to wind and unwind the extension cord about spaced apart surfaces. However, nothing prevents the male plug or female socket of the extension cord from being unintentionally unwound over the top of the horizontal rod by the weight of the first full loop of extension cord. Moreover, the device is limited to a horizontal orientation.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a support apparatus for coiled articles which allows storage in either a horizontal or a vertical orientation and in an efficient manner.